Extruded sealing section designed to be mounted on a projected part of a structure, pre-form of said section and procedure for mounting said pre-form onto the projecting part

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns a sealing extruded section designed to be mounted on a projecting part. Said extruded section comprises: two elastomer or plastomer shells ( 1, 2 ), including each a wing ( 1   a,    2   a ) and an adjacent part ( 1   b,    2   b ) forming a portion of the section base, said two shells being separated from each other by an opening ( 3 ) arranged through the section base and extending longitudinally along the median part thereof; a flexible material layer ( 7 ) inextensible or hardly extensible, applied inside the two shells ( 1, 2 ) so as to secure the two wings ( 1   a,    2   a ) and the adjacent parts ( 1   b,    2   b ) to the section base; a wedging shim ( 4 ) with cross-section substantially identical to that of the opening ( 3 ) separating the shells ( 1, 2 ), wherein it is forced in engagement, the cross-section of the opening ( 3 ) being such that, when the wedge ( 4 ) is fixed, it brings about a tilting movement of said shells relative to each other, thereby bringing closer together the free ends of the two wings of the section.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A “SEQUENCE LISTING,” A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAMLISTING APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISK

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an extruded sealing section with a U-shapedtransversal section, made of elastomer or plastomer, without a rigidreinforcement such as, notably, a metallic reinforcement. Morespecifically, it concerns a clamp-forming section of this type, designedto be mounted onto a projecting part of a structure, especially an edgeprojecting from the frame on an opening in the body of a car,particularly a door frame or trunk frame on such a body.

In addition, the invention involves a blank or pre-form for such asealing section and a procedure for mounting said blank onto theprojecting part of the associated structure in order to create thesection and simultaneously make it integral with this part.

The clamp-forming U-shaped sections typically include at least onesealing component adjacent to the base or to a branch of the U shape andprojecting toward the outside in such a way that it is compressedbetween the frame of the opening fitted with this section and therelevant panel, door or lid when the latter is in a closed position,thereby ensuring that this opening is waterproof and soundproof. Toensure that these sections are effectively clamped onto the flange onwhich they are mounted, they have traditionally included a U-shapedmetallic reinforcement at least partially buried in the plastomer orelastomer of which they are made, and, to ensure that the section is notinadvertently disconnected from the associated flange, each wing of thesection corresponding to the branches of the U shape usually includeslips or gripping fins that project obliquely in the direction of theother wing from the surface turned toward that wing.

With the same objective, the users of these sections, particularly whenthe sections have no metallic reinforcement, ensure that they aresecurely in place by gluing them to the flanges onto which they arefitted, and, for this purpose, they typically use so-called hot-meltglues, which are hard at room temperature but soften when heated.Consequently, users must coat the internal surface of the section baseand/or the adjacent parts of the wings with this type of glue on thespot in the presence of heat and then, after the assembly has beenheated in order to soften the adhesive and allow it to flow between thesection and the flange, they must mount the section to which glue hasbeen applied onto the flange; finally, they must allow the assembly tocool in order to harden the adhesive and thereby secure the section ontothe flange.

These steps are relatively simple; nonetheless, users object to the needto heat the adhesive themselves and bemoan the lack of sections that canbe mounted directly onto the associated flanges, without having toresort to this tedious operation beforehand.

2. Description of Related Art

From Patent FR 2 633 361 A, we are familiar with a seal made of aflexible extruded material and having a transversal section generally inthe shape of a U or a Ω, at the bottom of which is implanted an adhesivesubstance, such as a mastic. This section is designed to be mounted ontoa flange or a projecting edge that penetrates into the adhesivesubstance, which then hardens naturally, so that the section adheres tothe flange or the projecting edge, but this may require a considerableperiod of time.

To remedy this drawback, it has already been proposed to apply a line ofsoft glue inside the clamp-forming section that can be hardened by acontrolled operation, e.g., heating by means of an electrical conductorburied in the mass of the section or in the line of glue (see EP 1 060927 A and EP 1 080 967 A, both of which belong to the Applicant). Withsections such as these, the projecting part is mounted so as topenetrate the line of soft glue, and this glue is subsequently hardened.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention also relates to clamp-forming sections with no metallicreinforcement, but its purpose is to provide sections of this typecontaining no metallic part and therefore no metallic conductors used toharden a soft glue that hardens when heated.

With this objective in mind, the invention eliminates the use of a softglue that hardens when heated in such sections and instead is used tosecure the section to the projecting part onto which it is meant to befitted by means of a simple mechanical clamping force around this part.

To this end, the invention's objective is an extruded scaling sectionwith a transversal U- or Ω-shaped section made of elastomer orplastomer, without a rigid reinforcement that is at least partiallyburied in its mass, said section possibly comprising a scaling elementadjacent to its base or to one of its branches and projecting toward thesection's exterior, and being designed to be mounted onto a projectingpart of a structure, especially the frame for an opening in the body ofa car, and being characterized in that it comprises:

-   -   two elastomer or plastomer shells or jaws, each comprising a        base part aid an adjacent extension part or wing the base part        forming a portion of the section base, said two jaws preferably        being arranged in more or less symmetrical fashion along a        cross-section of the section and separated from each other by an        opening made in the section base and extending lengthwise along        its median part;    -   a layer of flexible material that is inextensible or slightly        extensible, applied to the interior of the two jaws so as to        secure the two wings and the adjacent parts of their respective        section base;    -   a wedging shim, with a cross-section substantially similar to        that of the opening separating the jaws, into which it is        engaged by force, the cross-section of the opening being such        that, when the wedge is fixed in place, it causes these jaws to        swing away from each other thanks to the layer of flexible        material connecting the two jaws, thereby bringing the free ends        of the section's two wings closer together.

The wedging shim and the jaws are advantageously made of the samematerial and have been extruded.

The layer of flexible inextensible or slightly extensible materialconnecting the two jaws may have a Shore A hardness of approximately 80to 90. It may, for example, be made of semi-hard rubber.

In this layer, a sheet or fabric made of an inextensible or slightlyextensible material, such as polypropylene, may advantageously beburied, to prevent the risk that this layer will be stretched.

To ensure a perfect seal around the projecting part capped by thissection, the latter may advantageously include a layer of mastic appliedto the layer of flexible inextensible or slightly extensible material inwhich the edge of the projecting part can be buried. This mastic may belaterally supported on the lips or gripping fins projecting from thewing of each shell in the direction of the opposite wing.

In addition, this invention involves a blank of this section in whichthe wedging shim is not engaged in the opening separating the two jawsbut may be adjacent to them if, as is preferable, they are jointlyextruded. In this case, when the shim is fixed in place in the opening,the extruded links that join the shim and the half-jaws may be broken asa result of the force applied to this shim when it is fixed in place.

Finally, the subject of this invention is a procedure for mounting thissection blank onto a projecting part of a structure, notably a frame foran opening in the body of a car, in order to produce the aforementionedsection from the blank that we have just defined and to make it integralwith this part, said procedure being characterized as follows:

-   -   the projecting part is mounted onto the aforementioned blank,        with the two jaws arranged on either side of the projecting part        and with the opening that separates the two jaws being        approximately opposite the projecting part;    -   and the wedging shim is then driven into the opening so as to        swing the free ends of the two jaws toward each other, in order        to clamp the projecting part firmly in place.

The wedging shim can be inserted into the opening separating thehalf-jaws by means of a roller that presses on the shim or a hammer witha vibrating head. During this operation, the wings of the two jaws maythemselves also be advantageously pushed toward each other with the helpof rotating rollers applied to their external surface, as in so-calledroll-forming procedures; this facilitates the insertion of the shim inits housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The implementation of the invention will be described in greater detailbelow, with reference to the schematic drawings attached. In thesedrawings:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an initial blank of the seal inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates the creation of a seal in accordance with theinvention based on the blank in FIG. 1 and its simultaneous mounting ona projecting part of a frame for an opening in the car trunk;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of a variant of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of another method of producing the sealin accordance with the invention, positioned on a projecting part of aframe for an opening in the car trunk; and

FIG. 5 is a view analogous to FIG. 1 of another blank of a seal inaccordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The blank of the frame seal for a car trunk shown in a cross-sectionalview in FIG. 1 was produced by co-extrusion. It comprises two jaws 1 and2 separated by a longitudinal opening 3, in which a shim 4 may beinserted by force to form a wedge having a complementary profile that,in this case, is made of the same material as the jaws 1 and 2 and islaterally connected to the latter by means of extruded links, which inthis case are broken when the shim is mounted in place.

The jaws 1 and 2 are arranged symmetrically in a cross-sectional viewand, once the shim 4 has been mounted in place, form with the shim aU-shaped section. To this end, each shell comprises a wing, respectively1 a, 2 a, corresponding to a branch of the U shape and an adjacent part,respectively 1 b, 2 b, that forms a part of the U-shaped base adjacentto the shim 4. The opening 3 and the shim 4 are arranged longitudinallyin the median part of the section.

In customary fashion, the shim 4 contains a fiberglass wire 5, while atubular sealing section 6, made for example of foam rubber, is adjacentto the parts 1 a and 2 a of the jaws 1 and 2, with which it was jointlyextruded.

According to the invention, a layer 7 of an inextensible or slightlyextensible material, such as semi-hard rubber, connects the wings 1 aand 2 a of the jaws 1 and 2 and is applied to the parts 1 b and 2 b, ofwhich it forms an integral part, transversally to the opening 3. Thisopening 3 and the wedging shim 4 have a section—in this case, a sectionin the form of an isosceles trapezoid, whose small base lies at theentrance of the opening 3—such that when the shim 4 is forced into theopening 3 by spreading parts 1 b and 2 b apart, the wings 1 a and 2 aare made to swing away from each other, since they are connected by theinextensible material; as a result, the free ends of these wings arebrought closer together in order to clamp firmly in place a flange 8 onwhich the section rests, as can be seen in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the shim 4 may be inserted by means of a roller 9that may or may not be made to rotate, while the wings 1 a and 2 a ofthe jaws 1 and 2 are simultaneously pushed towards each other by therollers 10 and 11, also rotating, which press against their lateralsurface and facilitate the insertion of the shim 4. The roller 9 mayadvantageously be activated by an alternating movement perpendicular tothe shim.

The gripping fins 12, 13, 14, 15 that protrude from the parts 1 a and 2a in the direction of the opposite part are in this way pressed againstthe flange 8 to ensure that the resulting section does not becomedetached from the flange 8. It should be noted that the gripping fins 14and 15, arranged, for example, along the free edge of the parts 1 a and2 a, are double gripping fins with a section in the shape of acircumflex accent, thereby ensuring better adherence to the flange 8.

This section is thus held in position on the flange 8 by means of asimple mechanical effect, without the use of a soft glue that would behardened by passing an electric current through the metallic wiresarranged in this glue or in the adjacent parts of the section.

There may be a gap between the edge of the flange 8 and the layer 7 ofinextensible material, or the two may come substantially in contact.

It should be observed that the wedging shim 4 includes, along the edgesof its end that is closest to the layer 7, projecting parts that snapinto place below the parts 1 b and 2 b in order to lock the shim intoposition in its housing.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, the lateral edges of the shim 4 and theadjacent surfaces of the opening 3 may also include grooves to ensurethat the shim does not accidentally escape from its housing.

FIG. 4, in which the previously described components are designated bythe same reference numbers, represents another method of producing theseal in accordance with the invention, which differs from that of FIG. 1only in that a strip of a sheet or fabric made of an inextensiblematerial, such as polypropylene, is incorporated into the slightlyextensible or inextensible material of the layer 7 so as to furtherreduce the risk of stretching this layer 7.

FIG. 5, in which the previously described components are designated bythe same reference figures, represents another method of producing theinvention, in which a layer of soft mastic 17, in this case supportedlaterally by the wings 12 and 13, is applied to the layer 7 ofinextensible material. The flange that is designed to be mounted on thesection penetrates this layer of mastic, thereby providing a perfectseal between this flange and the section.

All of the aforementioned methods of producing the invention involve aseal for a car trunk, but clearly the invention can also be applied toseals on the frame of a car door, in which case the sealing componentwould be laterally adjacent to one of the section's jaws.

The sections in accordance with the invention do not have any metallicparts and are thus less costly than those formerly used that included areinforcement. They are also lighter than the latter and thus easier touse.

1. An extruded sealing section with a U- or Ω-shaped transversalsection, made of elastomer or plastomer, without a rigid reinforcementburied partially in its mass, and being designed to be mounted on aprojecting part of a structure, especially a frame for an opening in thebody of a car, by means of a tight clamp, comprising: two elastomer orplastomer jaws, each comprising a wing and an adjacent part forming aportion of the section base, said two jaws preferably being arranged inmore or less symmetrical fashion along a cross-section of the sectionand separated from each other by an opening made through the sectionbase and extending lengthwise along its median part; a layer of aflexible material that is inextensible or slightly extensible, appliedto the interior of the two jaws so as to secure the two wings and theadjacent parts to their respective section base; a wedging shim with across-section substantially similar to that of the opening separatingthe jaws, into which it is engaged by force, the cross-section of theopening being such that when the wedge is fixed in place, it causesthese jaws to swing away from each other thanks to the layer of flexiblematerial connecting the two jaws, thereby bringing the free ends of thesection's two wings closer together; and a sheet or a fabric made of aninextensible material buried in the layer of material that isinextensible or slightly extensible.
 2. An extruded sealing section witha U- or Ω-shaped transversal section, made of elastomer or plastomer,without a rigid reinforcement buried partially in its mass, and beingdesigned to be mounted on a projecting part of a structure, especially aframe for an opening in the body of a car, by means of a tight clamp,comprising: two elastomer or plastomer jaws, each comprising a wing andan adjacent part forming a portion of the section base, said two jawspreferably being arranged in more or less symmetrical fashion along across-section of the section and separated from each other by an openingmade through the section base and extending lengthwise along its medianpart; a layer of a flexible material that is inextensible or slightlyextensible, applied to the interior of the two jaws so as to secure thetwo wings and the adjacent parts to their respective section base; awedging shim with a cross-section substantially similar to that of theopening separating the jaws, into which it is engaged by force, thecross-section of the opening being such that when the wedge is fixed inplace, it causes these jaws to swing away from each other thanks to thelayer of flexible material connecting the two jaws, thereby bringing thefree ends of the section's two wings closer together; and a layer ofsoft mastic applied to the layer made of inextensible material betweenthe wings of the jaws.
 3. A procedure for mounting a section pre-formonto a projecting part of a structure, in order simultaneously toproduce the corresponding section and make it integral with thisprojecting part, said procedure being characterized in that: mountingthe pre-form on the projecting part, with the two jaws arranged oneither side of the projecting part and with the opening that separatesthe two Jaws being approximately opposite the projecting part; drivingthe wedging shim into the opening by means of a rotating roller or avibrating hammer so as to swing the free ends of the two jaws towardeach other in order to clamp the projecting part firmly in place.
 4. Aprocedure according to claim 3, in which the wings of the jaws aresimultaneously pushed laterally towards each other by the rotatingrollers.
 5. An extruded sealing section for a vehicle comprising: firstand second opposed jaws, each having a base part and an extension; atleast one gripping fin on at least one of the extensions; a flexiblehinge comprising a no more than slightly extensible material connectedbetween the base part of one jaw and the base part of the other jaw, thehinge holding the jaws together so that an opening is formed between thebase parts; a wedging shim disposed in the opening cooperating with thehinge to urge the extensions of the jaws together; and a sheet or afabric made of an inextensible material buried in the layer of materialthat is inextensible or slightly extensible.
 6. An extruded sealingsection for a vehicle comprising: first and second opposed jaws, eachhaving a base part and an extension; at least one gripping fin on atleast one of the extensions; a flexible hinge comprising a no more thanslightly extensible material connected between the base part of one jawand the base part of the other jaw, the hinge holding the jaws togetherso that an opening is formed between the base parts; a wedging shimdisposed in the opening cooperating with the hinge to urge theextensions of the jaws together; and a sheet or a fabric made of aninextensible material buried in the layer of material that isinextensible or slightly extensible.
 7. An extruded sealing section fora vehicle comprising: first and second opposed jaws, each having a basepart and an extension; at least one gripping fin on at least one of theextensions; a flexible hinge comprising a no more than slightlyextensible material connected between the base part of one jaw and thebase part of the other jaw, the hinge holding the jaws together so thatan opening is formed between the base parts; a wedging shim disposed inthe opening cooperating with the hinge to urge the extensions of thejaws together; and a layer of soft mastic applied to the layer made ofinextensible material between the wings of the jaws.
 8. An extrudedsealing section for a vehicle comprising: first and second opposed jaws,each having a base part and an extension; at least one gripping fin onat least one of the extensions; a flexible hinge comprising a no morethan slightly extensible material connected between the base part of onejaw and the base part of the other jaw, the hinge holding the jawstogether so that an opening is formed between the base parts; a wedgingshim disposed in the opening cooperating with the hinge to urge theextensions of the jaws together; and a layer of soft mastic applied tothe layer made of inextensible material between the wings of the jaws.9. A section according to claim 5, characterized in that a layer of softmastic is applied to the layer made of inextensible material between thewings of the jaws.
 10. A pre-form of a section according to claim 5,characterized in that the wedging shim is not engaged in the openingseparating the two jaws, but is adjacent to the opening.
 11. A pre-formof a section according to claim 6, characterized in that the wedgingshim is not engaged in the opening separating the two jaws, but isadjacent to the opening.
 12. A sealing section for mounting on aprojecting part of a frame for an opening comprising: first and secondjaws each jaw comprising a gripping part and a base part, the first andsecond jaws being arranged parallel to each other; a layer of flexiblematerial that is inextensible or slightly extensible connected to eachjaw at a location between the gripping part and the base part so thateach jaw pivots with respect to the layer of material so that as thebase parts are moved apart the gripping parts are moved together andvice versa; and a wedging shim connected between the base parts of thetwo jaws and urging the base parts together so as to urge the grippingparts apart, and movable along a line substantially bisecting the twojaws into a position urging the base parts apart so as to urge thegripping parts of the jaws together.
 13. The sealing section of claim 12comprising an extra eight sealing section made of elastomer orplastomer.
 14. The sealing section of claim 12 in which the wedging shimand the jaws are co-extruded.
 15. The sealing section of claim 12 inwhich the wedging shim is not engaged in the opening separating the twojaws, but is adjacent to the opening rate.